Immigration system un-American: Obama

In his first major speech on the issue since taking office, President Barack Obama said that the US immigration system "offends our most basic American values" and blamed Republican opposition for thwarting critically needed change.

It was the third time in as many days that Obama singled out Republicans as an obstructionist force, blaming them in his earlier appearances for defending the BP company in the aftermath of the Gulf Coast oil spill and for opposing stronger financial regulatory legislation.

The president's remarks this week represented the clearest preview yet of the message the White House intends to highlight in this year's mid-term election: stubborn Republican refusal to help solve national problems.

The theme appeared to galvanise many supporters of immigration legislation who were in the audience at American University for Obama's speech on Thursday.

"I think it was a clarion call," said Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council.

"He implied, 'The ball is in your court."'

Reps fume at Obama's stance

Republicans shot back with a sizzling critique of the president's position, dismissing Obama's argument that the US-Mexican border was more secure now than in years.

"Half a million people still illegally enter our country today, most through Arizona, and his administration has yet to lay out a strategy on how it intends to bring it under control," Arizona Senator Jon Kyl said.

The immigration debate has been fuelled by passage of an Arizona law that allows police to question those they suspect of being illegal immigrants following a lawful stop.The Obama administration is expected to announce soon that it will file a legal challenge to that law.

Mexico gets to have a say in one of the lawsuits challenging Arizona's immigration enforcement law.

A federal judge on Thursday granted Mexico's request to be allowed to file a legal brief supporting the challenge.

That means the judge will consider the brief Mexico submitted previously.

Mexico says it wants to defend its citizens' rights and that the law would lead to racial profiling and hinder trade and tourism. It also says the law would hinder work against drug trafficking and related violence.

The law takes effect July 29 unless blocked by a court.

President angered at Rep flip-flopping

Speaking to religious and political activists, Obama in his speech recalled congressional steps toward immigration restructuring under former President George W Bush, when a bipartisan coalition of MPs supported a comprehensive solution.

"Unfortunately, reform has been held hostage to political posturing and special-interest wrangling," Obama said. "Now, under the pressures of partisanship and election-year politics, many of the 11 Republican senators who voted for reform in the past have now backed away from their previous support."

Nonetheless, Obama offered no new solutions, timetables or points of compromise. Instead, he outlined a longstanding prescription for reform that, in addition to having no support from Republicans in Congress, also has failed to unite his fellow Democrats.

Obama's address was closely watched around the country. In Los Angeles, about two dozen workers, students and advocates gathered at a community centre to listen. As the president spoke, a low hum of translation followed his words.

Olga Gonzalez, 42, said she is frustrated that a reform bill hasn't been enacted yet and is skeptical that that will happen in 2010.

"He said in his first year he would do it and he didn't," she said. "Now the November elections are coming."

An illegal immigrant with four US citizen children, Gonzalez said she worries every day about being arrested by immigration agents and separated from her family. About three months ago, she took in two American children of a friend who was deported.

"Every day, they ask, 'When is my Mommy coming back?"' she said.